Hope Swank, Neighbor

Hope was born and raised outside of Washington D.C.  and studied Spanish Literature and Anthropology at St. Mary's College of Maryland.  She moved to California in 2006 for an internship in teaching for San Mateo County Outdoor Education.  Since then she has worked for a number of local outdoor education and nature awareness programs including Vide Verde Nature Education, Pigeon Point Environmental Education Program, and Riekes Center Nature Awareness.  She has taught about redwood ecology, goat milking and cheesemaking, and the life and times of the Northern Elephant Seal.  In the summers she has lead backpacking trips for teenagers in the mountains of Virginia and the rainforests of Costa Rica.  Hope loves the California Coast and enjoys exploring in the tidepools, walking in the redwoods, and eating the delicious local organic produce.